1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cleaning device for removing a developer from a member to be cleaned such as an image bearing member, and this cleaning device is preferably used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process or the like, and to a process cartridge including the cleaning device.
2. Related Background Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer or a copier adopting the electrophotographic process, selective exposure is effected on an image bearing member uniformly charged by charging means to thereby form a latent image on the surface of the image bearing member. The latent image is then visualized as a developer image by a developer (toner) supplied from developing means, whereafter the developer image is transferred to a recording material, and further the developer image is fixed on the recording material by heat and pressure to thereby effect image recording.
Also, any developer residual on the image bearing member after the transfer of the developer image to the recording material is removed by a cleaning device provided in such an image forming apparatus, more particularly by a cleaning member such as a cleaning blade, and is collected into a cleaning container as residual developer (waste toner) and therefore, the next development can be effected without any developer being residual on the surface of the image bearing member.
Of those portions concerned in the above-described image formation, the image bearing member, the charging means, the developing means, and the cleaning member constructed integrally with one another and made into a cartridge detachably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus is put into practical use as a process cartridge, and in this case, the user himself carries out the interchange of the cartridge. Thus, expendables such as the image bearing member and the developer can be interchanged without the need for maintenance by a serviceman.
In the above-described cleaning means, the cleaning container has a capacity capable of containing therein the waste toner produced during the life of the image bearing member or until the toner contained in the developing means becomes exhausted. Also, in order to efficiently contain the waste toner, it has waste toner conveying means such as a rotary member provided in the vicinity of the image bearing member and the cleaning means.
An image forming apparatus including a process cartridge like the above-described example of the conventional art, in order to lengthen the life until the process cartridge is interchanged, has a tendency toward a larger capacity of the toner contained in the process cartridge and the resultant increase in the amount of waste toner and the balkiness of a waste toner containing portion.
Therefore, it is required to make the cleaning device compact and it is also required to make the developer conveying means in the cleaning device compact. Particularly, when rotary vanes are used as the developer conveying means, a space corresponding to the rotational locus of the rotary vanes becomes necessary, and it has been desired to utilize the space more effectively.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact cleaning device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device which enables a cleaning container to be made compact even if the amount of developer contained in the cleaning container is increased.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device which enables the height of a cleaning container to be made small.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device which enables the height of a space in which a developer conveying member is moved to be omitted.
Further objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.